Salem Renames Elementary School After 19th-Century Abolitionist

SALEM, MA — A curious juxtaposition of historic figures in the Witch City will culminate with the new merger of the Carlton Innovation School and Saltonstall School being renamed the Sarah Parker Remond School after the city's 19th-century student, abolitionist and lecturer.

The Salem School Committee voted to rename the school this week, effective on July 1.

• Salem School Committee Merges Elementary Schools In Split Vote

Parker Remond, born in 1826, was expelled from Salem High School when a group of parents successfully petitioned for a policy of segregation, which was backed at the time by Salem's first mayor, Leverett Saltonstall, for whom the currently elementary school is named.

The policy was soon overturned in 1844.

Remond was spurred by the expulsion to give her first anti-slavery speech at 16 years old and became a sought-after lecturer.

She attended college in Italy and became a physician, advocating for civil rights and speaking in support of the Union efforts in Europe during the Civil War.

"Sarah Parker Remond serves as an amazing role model for our youth as a strong advocate for social justice, academic excellence and public education," Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike said. "At an early age, she exercised her voice to bring about meaningful change to the city of Salem and beyond.

"Sarah Parker Remond is a fitting name for this innovative and exciting school community."

Remond's legacy is expected to be part of the Salem Summer Academy's curriculum this summer.

Remond Park, located at the intersection of Bridge Street and the Essex Bridge, is named after the Remond family: parents John and Nancy Remond, abolitionist brother, Charles Lenox Remond, and daughter, Sarah.

In June of 2022, Hamilton Hall unveiled a historic women's suffrage marker honoring the Remond family.

The Salem School Committee in December ended months of public forums and discussions on elementary school reconfiguration with a split vote to back a plan that will merge the Saltonstall and Carlton schools at Saltonstall — soon to be the Sarah Parker Remond School — beginning in the fall of 2026.

Salem Mayor and School Committee Chair Dominick Pangallo cast the deciding vote in the plan that will also relocate the Early Childhood Center at Carlton in an effort to close a projected $4.5 million to $5 million budget gap for next year and consolidate resources long-term.